The BMA’s junior doctors committee (JDC) in England has accepted the Government’s pay offer, with 66% of junior doctors voting in favour of the deal. Junior doctors have been in dispute over more than a decade of real-terms pay cuts since October 2022, during which time they have taken 44 days of strike action.
The pay uplift across these two years of the dispute will be 22.3% on average. This is made up of an additional average 4.05% for the pay year 2023/24 on top of the previously awarded average 8.8%, taking last year’s pay uplift to an average of 13.2% - this will be backdated to April 2023. The rest of the uplift comes from the recommended pay award for 2024/25 announced in July, which gave junior doctors an average 8% increase across grades. Doctors remain 20.8% behind in real terms compared to a doctor in 2008.
The Government has also committed to work with the BMA to streamline the way in which junior doctors report additional hours they work, to ensure they are paid for the work they do. There is also agreement to reform the current system of rotational training for junior doctors as well as reviewing the training bottlenecks that previous Governments have imposed, which has manufactured the shortage of consultant and GP doctors.
The junior doctors committee co-chairs, Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, said:
“It should never have taken so long to get here, but we have shown what can be accomplished with our determination and with a government willing to simply sit down and talk realistically about a path to pay restoration. One strike was one strike too many.
“This deal marks the end of 15 years of pay erosion with the beginning of two years of modest above inflation pay rises. There is still a long way to go, with doctors remaining 20.8% in real terms behind where we were in 2008. Mr Streeting has acknowledged our pay has fallen behind and has talked about a journey to pay restoration. He believes the independent pay review body is the right vehicle for this, and if he is right then no doctor need strike over pay in future. However, in the event the pay review body disappoints, he needs to be prepared for the consequences.
“The resident doctors committee, as we will be called, will be using the next months to prepare to build on their success so that future cohorts of doctors never again need to see the kind of pay cuts we have. We thank all doctors who have seen us through to this point by standing on picket lines and fighting for their worth. The campaign is not over, but we, and they, can be proud of how far we have come.”
Outside the pay negotiations, the Government has agreed that from 18th September “junior doctors” across the UK will be known as “resident doctors” to better reflect their expertise. This follows a motion to the BMA’s annual policy making conference in 2023 when doctors voted in favour of a name change.
Ends
Notes to editors
· 45,830 junior doctors in England took part in an online referendum between 19 August and 15 September, a turnout of 69%. 30,227 (66%) voted in favour of the offer. 15,596 (34%) voted against.
· Details of the offer are available here.
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.